My Friend the Fanatic

"Easily the best account by a journalist writing on Islam in contemporary Indonesia. Sadanand Dhume has really done the stuff, met the believers and extremists, and found out what drives them and what they plan for us all. With humor and style, he draws us into the world of radical preachers, hotheads, and youthful idealists, showing how militant Islamism has won the sympathy of a growing number of ordinary Indonesians. A wonderful book, entertaining and alarming in equal measure." —Andrew Beatty, author of A Shadow Falls: In the Heart of Java

“Guides the reader deftly through the whirlpool these [radical Islamist] currents have created.” —Wall Street Journal (Asian Edition)

“At once funny, sad, and unpretentiously intellectual, this fine book tells us much about Indonesia and about Islamism.” —Robert W. Hefner, Far Eastern Economic Review

“My Friend the Fanatic should be required reading for anyone interested in the rise of radicalism in Indonesia, or in similar movements in other parts of the Muslim world.” —Jamie F. Metzl, senior fellow at the Asia Society and author of Genesis Code

"Easily the best account by a journalist writing on Islam in contemporary Indonesia. Sadanand Dhume has really done the stuff, met the believers and extremists, and found out what drives them and what they plan for us all. With humor and style, he draws us into the world of radical preachers, hotheads, and youthful idealists, showing how militant Islamism has won the sympathy of a growing number of ordinary Indonesians. A wonderful book, entertaining and alarming in equal measure." —Andrew Beatty, author of A Shadow Falls: In the Heart of Java

“Guides the reader deftly through the whirlpool these [radical Islamist] currents have created.” —Wall Street Journal (Asian Edition)

“At once funny, sad, and unpretentiously intellectual, this fine book tells us much about Indonesia and about Islamism.” —Robert W. Hefner, Far Eastern Economic Review

“My Friend the Fanatic should be required reading for anyone interested in the rise of radicalism in Indonesia, or in similar movements in other parts of the Muslim world.” —Jamie F. Metzl, senior fellow at the Asia Society and author of Genesis Code